MESQUITE – As cars began streaming through the pick-up line at Buckner International’s Center for Humanitarian Aid, turkeys and all the fixings were being handed out to 300 families who otherwise wouldn’t have a Thanksgiving dinner.
Gail Borneman had been waiting for more than three hours, first in the line of cars that now literally stretched out of sight.
“At Thanksgiving, I cook for 15 people,” said the retired pension benefits specialist for the city of Dallas. “I have six kids that are not mine that are staying with me, and I have a girl that is 16 and got raped. Care services brought her to me. And I invite a couple of homeless people over, like last year, the same ones to take a shower and give a meal.
“I try to help as many people as I can. The world has too much nasty stuff going on, so you have to try to help people that you see are in need and that’s what I try to do.”
There were stories like Borneman’s in virtually every car that came through the line, and even the rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of everybody involved.
So any nasty stuff, except for maybe the weather, was put on hold Thursday afternoon as the Mavericks had their annual Season of Giving tipoff event with the Mavs Turkey Giveaway, sponsored by Kroger.
In honor of Veteran’s Day on Saturday, the event was attended by 30 members of the 301st Fighter Wing and the 136th Airlift Wing from the Texas Air National Guard. The Hoops for Troops project also featured Dwight Powell, Tim Hardaway Jr., Jaden Hardy and Dante Exum, along with Maverick staff volunteers and entertainers.
And everybody made a difference.
“It helps us out a lot,” said Paige Ward, community engagement coordinator for Buckner. “We do this thing on a normal basis, every Thursday, but our ability to serve more families increases of course when we have this many volunteers out here.
“We normally serve 75 to 100 families. And this time we’re being able to serve closer to 300.”
The troops arrived at Buckner at 2 p.m. and filled bags of essentials for a happy Thanksgiving feast. They then helped the players hand out turkeys and the bags of goodies as horns blared and music played.
And it was a special day for the players, too.
“That’s something that’s been No. 1 since I got here,” said Powell, the longest-tenured Maverick in his 10th season with the team. “The Dallas Mavericks as a whole puts community first in any way we can. There’s a ton of things all year long that the Mavs are doing that are huge for the community.
“I have a lot of pride wearing that jersey for a lot of reasons, but that’s one of the main ones.”
Hardaway’s father, who was inducted into the basketball hall of fame in 2022, was lucky enough to contribute to the community in his playing days and when his son was growing up. It left a lasting imprint.
“It’s the season of giving, one of my favorite seasons, if not my favorite season of the year,” Hardaway said. “Always happy to bring joy and give back to the community and our fans.
“Basketball is what we do, it’s not who we are. To give fans a different side of you, it’s magical for them and special for us. We’re humans. We put our shirts on just like you put your shirts on. I’m honored and privileged to have a father I’ve seen do this.”
And it truly was a community effort on Thursday.
Representatives of Kroger and a small army of workers from Buckner were involved to assist the military members and the Mavericks.
“Our families that come for food distribution all the time, love to come to this. It’s something extra special for them, said Steve Watson, director of aid and assistance for Buckner. “It’s the best part of my job. A lot of these families are not going to have anything to eat at all for Thanksgiving, if not for this. It’s a great partnership. It’s the 15th year we’ve been doing this.”
Buckner International is a faith-based nonprofit ministry dedicated to serving vulnerable children, families and seniors in the United States and internationally andwas founded in 1879.
The Mavericks began their relationship with Buckner 15 years ago when players like Devin Harris, Shawn Marion and Tyson Chandler handed out turkeys.
Now, the tradition continues. And players are eager to help.
“They came and asked me and I said 100 percent I want to be part of it,” said Exum, who joined the Mavericks this season. “That’s one thing I’ve been learning since I got here, talking to a lot of the community people and what they’re trying to do with the outreach programs.
“They don’t push us to do it, but if you want to, come along. And that’s why I’m here today, just to get involved. Have a bit of fun. You hear the horns honking, they’re all excited. They just want a photo. That brings joy to me.”
Exum added that there is no Thanksgiving-like holiday in his native Australia, but his parents are American and he’s had turkey-day dinners. So what’s his go-to Thanksgiving food?
“I’m a Mac-N-Cheese guy, stuffing, everything,” he said.
Tanzania Forbes was one of the military members who volunteered for the event. She is with the 136th Airlift Wing and said this sort of outing reminds the service personnel why they do what they do.
“It definitely brings a lot of joy,” she said. “Some people are going through hard times right now. After COVID, life is tougher for everyone, so to be able to lend a helping hand is a great thing.
“It’s a good partnership opportunity for us. Usually we all work in different areas, so we don’t have the opportunity to come together to make such a big difference.”
And, of course, the partnership between the Mavericks and Kroger made it all happen.
“At Kroger, we’re all about feeding the community, feeding the human spirit,” said John Vatova, corporate affairs director for Kroger. “We’re so grateful to have this partnership with the Mavs, to feed people who are looking for brightened spirits during the holidays.
“We’re working to end hunger in our communities, and we’re grateful that the Mavs also have that (goal) as well. And to add in the military partners, we have Veteran’s Day on Saturday and Kroger is honoring our veterans with an extra 10 percent discount on Saturday. We want to make sure we’re taking care of everybody in the community and those who are taking care of us, too.”
As Hardy said: “The experience has been good, trying to bring joy and have fun out here. Seeing smiles on their faces is what it’s all about. I’m super-grateful for this opportunity.”
And it’s people like Borneman who are among the beneficiaries of the work of the Mavs, Kroger and Buckner International.
Even the contributions of Champ, the Mavericks’ mascot were lauded.
“I did it last year,” she said. “And the year before that I got to pet the pony’s tail. He said nobody’s ever asked him if they could do that. So that was nice.
“He was in his mascot outfit. You got to have a little fun. Times like this are important for everybody.”
X: @ESefko
Share and comment